Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga

Visnu

Visuddha-chakra

Visvamitra

Vitasti

Vrksa

Vr5. chika

Vrt.

Vrui •

Vy adhi

Vy ana

Yama

Yoga

Yoga-mudra

Yoga-nidra

Yoga Sutra

Yogi or Yogin
Yoni-mudra

Glossary 535

The second deity of the Hindu trinity, entrusted

with the preservation of the world.

The nervous plexus in the pharyngeal region.

A celebrated sage.

A span.

A tree.

A scorpion.

To turn, to revolve, to roll on.

A course of action, behaviour, mode of being, condi­

tion or mental state.

Sickness, disease, illness.

One of the vital airs, which pervades the entire body

and circulates the energy derived from food and

breathing all over the body.

The god of death. Yama is also the first of the eight

limbs or means of attaining yoga. Y amas are

universal moral commandments or ethical disciplines

transcending creeds, countries, age and time. The

five mentioned by Pataiijali are: non-violence, truth,

non-stealing, continence and non-coveting.

Union, communion. The word 'yoga' is derived

from the root 'yuj' meaning to join, to yoke, to

concentrate one's attention on. It is the union of

our will to the will of God, a poise of the soul which

enables one to look evenly at life in all its aspects.

The chief aim of yoga is to teach the means by

which the human soul may be completely united

with the Supreme Spirit pervading the universe and

thus secure absolution.

A posture.

The sleep of yoga, where the body is at rest as if

in sleep while the mind remains fully conscious,

though all its movements are stilled. Yoga-nidra is

also the name of an asana.

The classical work on yoga by Pataiijali. It consists

of 185 terse aphorisms on yoga and it is divided

into four parts dealing respectively with samadhi,

the means by which yoga is attained, the powers the

seeker comes across in his quest and the state of

absolution.

One who follows the path of yoga.

Yoni means the womb or source and mudra a seal.